NauticalCharts.gov Wins 2001 Grace Hopper Award

Arlington, VA, March 11, 2002 – Software Performance Systems, Inc. (SPS) announced that NauticalCharts.gov received one of eleven 2001 Grace Hopper Federal Technology Leadership Awards.  A group of 30 finalists was selected out of 263 nominations, and the new Academy of Government Technology Leadership voted for the 11 best projects.  Along with the Excellence.gov Award and the Pioneer 2001 Award, this is the third National award won by the SPS-built system.  The "Gracies," sponsored by the Government Executive's Government Technology Leadership Awards program, selected winners based on innovation in the way Government conducts business.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of Coast Survey contracted SPS in 2000 to develop a website and back-end system that would allow mariners to order up-to-date nautical charts online.  Previously, the Office of Coast Survey (OCS) used a system that only allowed nautical charts to be printed once they were out-of-stock, sometimes leading to inaccuracies due to rapidly changing information in waterways conditions.  Mr. Dave Enabnit, Technical Director of OCS, led the NOAA team, and calculated that the project, which cost about $1.25 million, is expected to save commercial mariners about $35 million a year.

Nauticalcharts.gov had won two previous government national-level awards in 2001: the Excellence.gov Grand Prize and the notable Pioneer 2001 award.  The Excellence.gov Award was bestowed to five grand prizewinners from hundreds of entries, and candidates were judged on how they affected government transformation, innovation and results, collaboration, ease of use, public availability, privacy and security, and cost effectiveness.  The Pioneer Award earned the SPS-built system the privilege to be featured in a Best Practices Briefing at the E-Gov 2001 Exposition, and was granted based on how the system “increased productivity, saved limited public resources, and improved the quality, timeliness, and accuracy of citizen services.”  (E-Gov 2001: For the Press).

Joe Linza, SPS Vice President of Strategic Solutions, emphasized that winning three awards within a single year reflects SPS's commitment to quality and state-of-the-art design when building B2B systems.  With a web shopping storefront, SPS developers combined XML, Java, and e-commerce technologies to build a secure print-on-demand system that processes over 100,000 nautical charts per year.

About SPS
Software Performance Systems, Inc. (SPS), a small business based in Maryland, is a privately held information technology services provider. Established in 1995, SPS specializes in the design and integration of large Web-based solutions for State and Local Governments and commercial clients. SPS has been honored with many national awards, including: #10 ranking in the Computerworld Top 100 Best Places to Work in IT, Deloitte's Virginia Technology Fast 50 and North America Technology Fast 500, and as a SBA Exporter of the Year. More importantly, SPS solutions helped our clients win prestigious awards, including the Grace Hopper Federal Government Technology Leadership Award, the E-Gov Pioneer Award, the Excellence.gov Grand Prize Award, and the Government IT Agency Award for Excellence in Government.
SPS...proven over time.

Contact Information
Software Performance Systems, Inc.
Mike Dorsett, PMP
VP Financial Solutions Division
301-518-5711
MDorsett@goSPS.com
www.goSPS.com